To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world:

September 27 – Carrefour Is Rumored to Being Bought by Amazon
According to French publication, “Les Echos”, Carrefour share had the largest increase of the CAC 40 ((Cotation Assistée en Continu), a benchmark French stock market index) on Tuesday, an increase of 3.45% to €17.09. This revaluation follows a rumor relayed by analysts and “current values” of a possible takeover by Amazon.  Analysts estimate Carrefour’s stock value at €13 billion, against Amazon with a value of €394 billion. A takeover of Carrefour by Amazon would huge, as, the two groups have turnover of approximately €100 billion. From Univers Habitat

September 20 – Almacenes La 14 Looks to exceed $3 billion in Sales by 2020
Almacenes La 14 has established a strategic plan that aims to double the growth of the organization in the coming years. Their ambitious goal is to exceed $3 billion in sales by 2020. The main objective of the retail chain is to ensure the sustainability of the organization with main focus on the consumer, customer service, aiming to provide maximum value to customers. From América Retail

September 18 – OXXO Faces the Challenge to Grow in Colombia
Oxxo has become the largest chain of convenient stores in South America with almost 16,000 outlets. Now, the retailer faces the challenge of growing in the rest of the continent with Colombia and Chile leading this growth. From El Tiempo

Setptember 13 – Why Our Big Department Stores are Struggling (Australia)
Christmas 2017 is going to be make or break. If it goes badly, department stores might find their slow decline turns into a downward spiral. Australian retail spending is soft across all categories, but of the major categories the ABS reports on, it is department stores that are doing worst. From The Daily Telegraph

September 13 – Amazon Plans Mega-Warehouse for Mexico Growth Spurt
Amazon.com is preparing to open a 1 million square-foot warehouse near Mexico City, sources familiar with the project said, part of an effort to boost its presence in Mexico’s nascent e-commerce industry. From Reuters

September 13 – Williams-Sonoma’s West Elm Opens Wholesale Store in Ireland
Among the portfolio of brands belonging to Williams-Sonoma, Inc., West Elm announced the commencement of wholesale operations in Ireland with the opening of a branded shop-in-shop in the country’s oldest department store, Arnotts. From Zacks.com

September 11 – Amazon’s China Hiring Signals Renewed Ambitions in Alibaba Battle
Amazon.com Inc. is hiring by the hundreds in China to fill jobs ranging from internet software engineers to designers for Alexa, positioning the company to recoup some of the market share it lost to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in the world’s largest online shopping arena. From Bloomberg

September 8 – Amazon to Launch in Short-term in Australia
Based on analysis by Citi, estimates state that the incremental impact by Amazon on sales for the second quarter of 2018 could be approximately AUD200 million, representing about 0.2 per cent of total Australian retail sales. From Inside Retail Australia

September 8 – Steamer Trading Cookshop Identifies Housewares Used in episode Two of Bake Off
Specialist retailer Steamer Trading Cookshop has again posted a blog on its website of housewares used in the second episode of ‘The Great British Bake Off’, which aired on Tuesday (September 5) on Channel 4. From HousewaresLive.net

September 7 – Amazon India to Open 45 Offline Kiosks in 20 Cities Soon
Amazon plans to open 45 offline kiosks or ‘Seller Cafés’ in 20 cities, mostly in tier-II and tier-III towns, which would help bring in more sellers and also help its existing seller base with various issues. From The Business Standard

September 6 – Matahari Department Store Puts More Money Into E-commerce
Indonesian retail firm Matahari Department Store (MDS) has increased its stake in e-commerce startup MatahariMall.com. So far it has invested US$41.8 million with plans to put in a further $16 million by the end of the year, taking its stake to around 18 per cent. From Inside Retail Asia

September 4 – Hudson’s Bay to Open First Store in Netherlands, Commits to Europe
Hudson’s Bay Co’s commitment to Europe is “rock solid,” Chief Executive Gerald Storch told Reuters in an interview, ahead of the opening of the first of 10 planned name-sake department stores in the Netherlands on Tuesday, bucking a trend away from bricks and mortar. From The Globe and Mail

The International Business Council is a special interest group of IHA members, dedicated to helping its membership market and sell their products internationally by sharing information, providing networking opportunities and offering programs to assist, support, and educate. Membership is free to all regular, IHA members – visit the IBC website to learn more.